Lisurn frowned as he silently entered the Siran Tribe's village.
'To think he'd order around someone he just met like a subordinate.'
Raon had rushed to the battlefield where the Siran Tribe was fighting the assassins, while ordering me to go to this village.
He said there was a fire seed hidden inside the village that could cause a big explosion, but honestly, I didn't believe it. It's not easy to hide a fire seed inside a village, unlike outside.
"Hmm..."
Come to think of it, Raon didn't seem to like me following him from the start. Even when we entered the burning forest, he had an expression as if asking why I came along.
'What's the reason? Could it be that he thinks I might extract information about martial arts?'
Having lived as an assassin and informant, his discernment was superior even to top-tier martial artists, so he thought it could be possible.
'He's more narrow-minded than I thought.'
It was laughable that he would think that way, considering the Black Market and Zieghart were practically in a semi-alliance relationship now.
'Still, just in case.'
As he was creating a suitable escape route, thinking Raon might have really sent him here to protect the village, a golden sun and moon rose in the darkening sky.
'What is that...'
Just as his mouth fell open in disbelief, a terrifying storm of aura swept in from beneath the sun and moon.
It was Raon. He stood at the center of the battlefield, wielding a longsword blazing with flames and frost, simultaneously fending off the Siran Tribe's shamans and the assassins.
He wasn't using any special swordsmanship or manipulating a massive aura.
Yet with his seemingly ordinary sword strikes, the Siran Tribe stumbled with their spirit possessions dispelled, and the assassins were torn apart like paper, unable to withstand a single blow.
In the end, he froze dozens of assassins along with the ground.
To achieve such miracles with a sword was a sight even he, who had been through countless battlefields, had never seen before.
After that, no one dared to raise a weapon against Raon. With just a few swings of his sword, the malice and killing intent on the battlefield dissipated.
The monster named Raon Zieghart had single-handedly ended the war.
'Wait a minute...'
Seeing Raon fight, he realized that someone with that level of martial prowess wouldn't be concerned about revealing his martial arts.
'Then, could it really be?'
Lisurn quickly opened his aura perception. He sensed the presence of assassins approaching the village around the faintly burning flames.
The assassins stopped at a certain distance and created a subtle aura wave. As that wave seeped into the village, it triggered a massive explosion.
Kuwaaaaaang!
An enormous wall of flames surged up, engulfing the entire village. The heat was so intense that it automatically stopped one's breathing.
A prison of flames was erected, where one could neither breathe nor escape.
"W-What is this!"
"Why are there suddenly flames here..."
"Everyone, get out! We'll all die if we stay like this!"
The elderly who remained in the village came out with the children who had been hiding in the houses. But the flames were so fierce that they could only bite their lips, not knowing what to do.
Chiiiiiing!
Lisurn drew the sword at his waist. He created sword aura and sword wind to open the escape route he had prepared in advance.
"This way, please get out!"
At his shout, the elderly and children of the Siran Tribe opened their eyes wide.
"W-We don't know who you are, but thank you!"
"Everyone, come this way!"
"Hurry and get out before the fire spreads further!"
The tribe members seemed suspicious at first, but thinking there was no reason for an enemy to save them, they escaped the fire-engulfed village through the opened path.
Lisurn swallowed dryly as he watched the elderly and children of the Siran Tribe running out.
'So it was real?'
Does this make sense?
He could have the martial prowess to end a war alone. He could notice that assassins were hiding.
But to find fire seeds that hadn't even ignited yet inside the village, this was an ability he couldn't understand no matter how much he thought about it.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was possessed by a god, not just a monster or a genius.
Lisurn turned his gaze as he finally left the village.
He tried to find Raon, but he had already disappeared, and only the Siran Tribe's warriors and shamans with sorrow and anger in their eyes could be seen running towards them.
However, after confirming that the villagers were safe, they approached with relaxed eyes.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you so much! Benefactor!"
"How can we ever repay this debt!"
The Siran Tribe Chief and warriors approached, bowing their heads and expressing their gratitude.
"Ah, no, I..."
Lisurn's fingertips trembled as he watched people thanking him without the slightest hesitation.
'Come to think of it...'
This is the first time I've received such thanks.
Having lived as an assassin and then becoming an informant, he had never received thanks or gratitude from anyone in his life.
Receiving sincere thanks from people, a strange, tickling sensation filled his chest.
It wasn't a bad feeling, but he had to convey the truth clearly.
"It wasn't me who did this."
Lisurn shook his head firmly.
"Lord Raon ordered me to protect the village, just in case."
"Hmm, he..."
"Huh..."
"Was he thinking this far ahead?"
The Siran Tribe Chief groaned and looked back to where Raon had been. The tribe members also searched for Raon with surprised eyes.
Lisurn shook his head as he followed their gaze.
'He really is an unfathomable person.'
* * *
Raon licked his lips as he watched the masked assassin whose eyes were trembling.
'This guy must be the leader.'
All the assassins here were skilled, but in terms of pure martial prowess, the one in front was the strongest.
This guy was clearly the head of the assassins who orchestrated today's events.
"Y-You, how did you..."
"They called you the Hwansaldae."
Judiel had said that the name of the assassination group Jubel belonged to was the Hwansaldae.
"What are you after?"
"W-What are you talking about!"
The Head of the Hwansaldae swallowed dryly as he stepped back.
"You didn't come for assassination, you came for a fight. Assassins charging in from the front, you're no different from moths to a flame."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Head of the Hwansaldae.
'There must be another purpose.'
Assassins retreat when plans go awry, they don't charge in madly like this. It seemed they were after something other than assassinating the Siran Tribe.
"Nonsense!"
At the Head of the Hwansaldae's shout, the assassins hiding around them began to silently approach.
'So these are the real ones.'
Judging by their ability to conceal their killing intent and completely erase their presence, these guys were at least two levels above the assassins he had faced earlier.
Seeing such skilled assassins placed here, it became even more certain that their goal was not to assassinate the Siran Tribe.
Piiiing!
The assassins hidden in the darkness shot out their hidden blades. Fast and complex trajectories overlapped, forming a net-like pattern. It was a transcendent technique combining well-honed hidden blade arts with extensive experience.
'Even so...'
It's meaningless.
Raon stepped into the net of hidden blades shot by the assassins. Taking in the killing intent formed by the blades with his eyes, he raised the Heavenly Drive.
The silvery flickering blade drew a trajectory that split the darkness.
Kwadeudeuk!
The Heavenly Drive extended relentlessly, forming a sword formation that instantly shattered the net of falling hidden blades.
Seeing the assassins' distorted eyes, he drew the Requiem Sword. The red blade created a clear resonance as it brushed against the scabbard.
Wooooong!
It was Azure Rain, a sword technique that penetrated the hearing and crushed the nerves.
"Kuhek!"
"Aaaagh!"
"Kueuuk!"
The assassins felt pain as if their nerves were being shattered, dropping their weapons and falling to their knees.
Raon invoked the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. As he was about to swing the Heavenly Drive with flames from his energy center coiling around his hand, the Head of the Hwansaldae moved.
He lightly extended his hand, and dozens of aura-imbued daggers became beams of light cutting through space. It was a skill befitting the leader of an assassination group.
"Snap out of it! He's weakened too!"
The Head of the Hwansaldae shouted as he blocked the trajectory of the Heavenly Drive. The assassins, who had been dazed by the shock of Azure Rain, regained their senses and charged in again, gripping their daggers.
Their footwork was swift. In the time it took to exhale once, their daggers were already aimed at his neck and heart.
"You're not wrong, but..."
Raon smirked as he lowered his eyebrows.
"It's not a level you can handle."
He widened his field of vision. Taking in the approaching hidden blades and assassins at a glance, he raised the Heavenly Drive that had been tilted to the left.
The blade, sharp enough to be chilling, spread out along the horizon burned by flames.
As the black long robe fluttered, the darkness was torn away. The assassins' necks were split by a single strike, rolling on the ground. With just one sword strike, over ten assassins' lives were ended.
"H-How..."
The Head of the Hwansaldae's eyes were bloodshot with disbelief. His expression showed he couldn't believe that assassins in different directions and at different distances had all died from a single strike.
"I told you."
Raon shook his head as he approached the Head of the Hwansaldae.
"It's not a level you can handle."
"Kugh!"
The Head of the Hwansaldae stepped back. His body seemed to melt into the darkness, disappearing in an instant.
'I must escape!'
He had heard that using the Sword Domain consumed over 80% of one's aura, but it seemed to have no effect on that monster.
Fighting head-on was impossible. He had to get out of here by any means necessary.
As he tried to advance with all his might using his footwork, strangely, his view didn't change. It felt like he was stuck in place.
'W-What's going on?'
His lips trembling, he looked back, but his legs were nowhere to be seen. The moment he realized this, his body tilted and an unbearable pain rushed in.
"Uaaaaargh!"
The Head of the Hwansaldae screamed as he clutched at the dried bushes. Looking at his legs again, he saw that everything below his knees had been cut off, spewing bright red blood.
*Stepping sound*
Raon approached the Head of the Hwansaldae, lowering the Heavenly Drive.
"The only way for a trapped rat to survive is to cut off its legs."
He lowered his gaze to meet the eyes of the Head of the Hwansaldae.
"Of course, you won't survive even if you cut off your legs."
"Ugh..."
His complexion had turned pale, seemingly overwhelmed by fear and pain.
"Speak."
Raon placed his hand on the Head of the Hwansaldae's back and tilted his chin.
"What were you after?"
"Hehe..."
The Head of the Hwansaldae raised his eyes with a laugh that sounded like a groan.
"You're planning to kill me anyway, right?"
"As an assassin, you should know the difference between dying easily and dying painfully is important, right?"
"Don't make me laugh, kid. I decide my own death."
He sneered with a smirk.
"No, your life isn't yours."
Raon snorted and ripped off the Head of the Hwansaldae's jaw.
"Huk..."
"You assassins are so outdated."
As he said this, he removed the poison hidden in the Head of the Hwansaldae's teeth.
"Y-You, how did you..."
The Head of the Hwansaldae's eyes widened in disbelief that the poison in his teeth had been discovered.
"It's basic, isn't it?"
Raon shook his head as he threw the poison away.
"Since you refused the easy way, I'll send you down the hard path."
As he said this, he pushed the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold of Glacier through the Head of the Hwansaldae's back. He employed a torture technique he had developed himself, spreading the two energies.
"Kuuu..."
Despite being unable to speak due to his body stiffening, the Head of the Hwansaldae let out intense groans and trembled all over. His eyes started to turn bloodshot from the pain.
Raon sat on the Head of the Hwansaldae's back and gestured to Wrath.
'Want to bet if he'll last an hour? If you guess right, I'll buy you a set of bead ice cream.'
-If I'm wrong?
'How about you give me all your ability points?'
-That's not bad.
Wrath nodded quickly.
-Still, he's the head of those assassins. He should be able to endure for an hour.
He raised his hand, betting that the assassin would endure for more than an hour.
'Then I'll bet on less than an hour.'
Raon smirked as he increased the intensity of the torture on the Head of the Hwansaldae.
-You cheating bastard!
Wrath yelled and grabbed Raon's collar.
-Increasing the intensity of torture is cheating, isn't it!
'There was no condition saying I couldn't increase the intensity.'
-That's a basic condition!
'Oh, really? I didn't know. I'll keep that in mind for next time.'
-What kind of personality...
He gaped in disbelief.
"Huuuk..."
The Head of the Hwansaldae let out a groan as if his breath was being cut off, seemingly unable to endure any longer. Looking at his eyes, it seemed he was ready to say anything if only the torture would stop.
"You should have done that from the start."
Raon released the torture and lifted up the Head of the Hwansaldae.
"What's your name?"
"C-Colin. It's Colin."
Colin bowed his head with a completely dazed expression.
-Kuuuk! You really are the demon king of deception!
Wrath ground his teeth in frustration.
[You have won the bet against
As soon as Wrath acknowledged it, a message appeared saying he had won the bet.
-It doesn't come out when I call, but it's disgustingly fast at times like this! I should really smash it...
[All ability points have increased by 3 points.]
An additional message appeared as Wrath frowned.
-Huh? Why did it increase by 3 points instead of 1?
'We didn't specify how many points, did we? It must be the system's decision.'
-That doesn't need to be said! Of course it should be 1 point!
'Oh, really? I'll keep that in mind next time.'
Raon waved his hand towards the system that sent the message.
-This is really driving me crazy!
Unable to contain himself, Wrath looked up at the sky and shouted in frustration.
Ignoring Wrath who was exploding with anger, Raon gestured to Colin.
"So what were you after? Don't give me nonsense about assassinating the Siran Tribe."
"I-It was to create a crisis."
"Create a crisis?"
"Well..."
As Colin was about to answer, a blue light flickered in his heart, and his chest split open.
Pukaaaak!
The blood that burst out belatedly showed that this situation was real.
Behind Colin's collapsing corpse, Raon saw a man emitting a chilling gaze.
'Karoon?'
The Central Martial Palace Master - Karoon - whom he never imagined would be here, revealed himself.
'Why is that person here...'
He couldn't understand why Karoon, who was said to have gone on a mission, was here.
'The reason he's here... Wait!'
What if Jubel hadn't escaped from Karoon?
He had thought that Jubel had become an assassin and Karoon had sold him externally, but that didn't seem to be the case. This assassination group called the Hwansaldae might belong to Karoon itself.
'No, that's right!'
Jubel and Judiel had never escaped from Karoon's grasp from the beginning.
Combining Karoon's appearance and Colin's words about creating a crisis for the Siran Tribe, a hypothesis formed.
'What if Karoon appears and saves everyone when the Siran Tribe is in danger of burning to death?'
Karoon would become a benefactor to the Beast Union and could achieve tremendous results within Zieghart as well.
In reality, the assassins who were trying to attack the Siran Tribe were numerous but not that strong. It was clear that he intended to use them as sacrificial pawns to boost his own achievements.
'The reason he went this far is probably because of me.'
Recently, I've been hearing that it wouldn't be strange for me to become a successor candidate given my many achievements.
It was clear that Karoon, feeling threatened by the peculiar atmosphere within the family, had devised this plan to create achievements.
'The finishing touch was sealing Colin's mouth.'
By killing Colin, who could do nothing, Karoon had all but proven that this entire situation was his doing.
"Central Martial Palace Lord."
Raon calmed his burning insides as he met Karoon's cold eyes.
"I didn't expect to see you in a place like this."
"I came because I saw the fire spreading while returning after completing my mission."
It's not an unusual answer. In fact, he wasn't at the family estate when he returned from his mission either.
"But why did you kill this guy?"
"He's an assassin, isn't he? Assassins are those you can't let your guard down against until the moment they die."
Karoon shook his head as if asking why Raon was questioning something so obvious.
Raon bit his lip as he watched Karoon slowly approach.
'Is he planning to kill me?'
This is dangerous...
Seeing Karoon's calm expression, a chilling shiver ran down Raon's spine.
Only Karoon and I are here now. There was no chance of survival if he attacked here.
'I can't win even if I use the Sword Domain.'
Karoon's martial prowess surpasses even the Axe King. I'd be pushed back even fighting at full strength, let alone now when I'm weakened from using the Sword Domain.
'Should I run? No, showing my back would be even more dangerous.'
Karoon's swordsmanship just now cut down Colin before I could even perceive it. If I move carelessly, my head will fly off with a single strike.
"Raon Zieghart."
Karoon approached until he was within striking distance, revealing an icy gaze.
"What did you hear from him?"
"I wonder."
Raon shook his head with a calm smile.
"Is that so."
Karoon's eyes darkened. It seemed he intended to end things here and now.
As Raon gripped the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword tightly, preparing to defend, a massive shadow appeared in the sky.
Kuwaaaaaang!
A white tiger as large as a house burst through the forest, letting out a majestic roar. The man riding it descended in front of Raon and Karoon.
Raon's hands trembled involuntarily at the sight of the man's muscular build rivaling the white tiger, his fierce eyes, and the domineering aura that seemed to suppress all living things.
"Hmm..."
Even Karoon seemed not to have expected his appearance, frowning as he stepped back.
Raon swallowed dryly and called out to the man who had descended from the white tiger.
"Beast Union Leader?"